Because of Thy Faith Thou Hast Seen

Honorable Mention in the 2020 Book of Mormon Central Art Contest.

 

This painting is styled after a traditional Byzantine icon, found in much of Orthodox Christianity today. This piece was created using a traditional icon panel made out of poplar wood and egg tempera gesso, with silver leaf, and homemade paint from natural pigments and egg. This painting translates the story of the the Brother of Jared from the Book of Mormon into the simplified and instructional way of a traditional icon.

 

Nancy Andruk Olson has been a painter her entire life. Her mother was an artist and her first teacher. She grew up in Los Angeles and attended Art Center college of Design as a high school student. She went on to receive a BFA in painting From BYU. She also has a post-baccalaureate certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  Because of her Eastern Orthodox Christian ancestry, she has a a fascination with traditional icon painting and its use as an instructional medium for religious worship. She recently traveled to England to study with Aidan Hart, one of the worlds leading experts on icon painting, to learn about this historic practice. Providentially, the current pandemic has allowed her to continue this study over Zoom. Her goal is to illustrate all of the stories from the Book of Mormon in the icon format.  Currently she lives and works in Bountiful, UT with her husband and four children.